Chapter 53
“Yes, but I’m—” Evelyn yanked Tristan’s arm sharply, signaling him to stay silent. He caught on immediately and clamped his mouth shut.
“Well, Nathan certainly didn’t skimp on expenses when he assigned his most trusted secretary to you, Evelyn,” Sebastian sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “He must hold you in high regard. Congratulations—you’re about to marry into yet another wealthy family. You fooled me completely, and now it’s Nathan’s turn. I hope he never discovers your true nature.”
His words sliced through Evelyn’s heart like shards of glass, and Sebastian wasn’t finished. He seemed determined to push her further into distress.
Tristan immediately noticed the way Evelyn’s breath hitched, her shoulders trembling under his touch. What baffled him was Sebastian’s absurd accusations. Had the man lost his mind? What kind of nonsense was he spewing?
“Tristan,” Evelyn said, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her, “allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Blackwood of Blackwood Enterprises—my ex-husband of three years.”
“What?” Tristan’s face drained of color, shock rendering him speechless. He couldn’t fathom that Evelyn had vanished for three years, only to have secretly married Sebastian. She had kept it hidden from the world—even from the Whitmore family. What had she been thinking?
“We’re divorced now,” Evelyn stated firmly, forcing a smile to mask her pain. “I’ve severed all ties with the Blackwood family. From this moment on, we are nothing but strangers.”
“But the divorce isn’t finalized! Grandfather’s birthday—”
“Enough!” Evelyn’s voice cracked with frustration, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “Stop using Grandfather as an excuse! You’re just using him to keep humiliating me, aren’t you? You know how much he means to me!”
Sebastian flinched as if struck, her words hitting him with unexpected force. He struggled to maintain his composure amidst their heated exchange. He couldn’t recall a time when Evelyn had ever been this furious.
In his memory, she had always been composed, her emotions carefully guarded. But now, her anger was palpable, her brows furrowed with deep-seated resentment. This was worse than their confrontation at the hospital.
“We were already in a dying marriage,” she continued, her voice trembling. “You were the one who ended it—you betrayed me while we were still married. And yet, did I ever demand anything from you? So why should I suffer as a widow, remaining chaste for you? Do you expect me to never move on? How can you be so selfish?”
“Selfish?” Sebastian’s chest constricted with a sharp ache. He couldn’t understand why his own actions felt so erratic, why he was clinging to a woman he had already let go.
“Besides,” Evelyn added bitterly, “I never broke my word. I intended to keep our divorce private until Grandfather’s birthday. It was your carelessness that allowed Vanessa to expose everything.”
The last trace of warmth in her eyes vanished. “And now you’re twisting it to blame me—but I understand why. You can’t bring yourself to blame her, can you?”
Sebastian stood frozen, the wind whipping around him as if mocking his stillness. He watched as Tristan gently guided Evelyn away, his cheeks burning as if he’d been slapped.
“I won’t look back on what’s left behind,” Sebastian muttered through clenched teeth. Though he had been the one to—
